Almost half of WA's maintenance workers are risking their lives on top of Perth's tall buildings due to unfit safety devices, according to a peak safety industry body.
In a study 268 out of 608 roof anchors, used to connect a worker's safety harness to a building, were found to be incorrectly installed and useless in the event of a fall, a recent audit of Perth buildings revealed.
The Working At Heights Association audit included a cross-section of both single and multi-storey commercial premises throughout Perth, including universities, warehouses, retail stores and offices.
The audit found that buildings with unfit safety devices varied in age and there was no difference between equipment installed recently or over time.
Those at risk included maintenance workers who are required to work from height such as painters, window cleaners and repairman.
WAHA secretary Gordon Cadzow said said it showed that height safety is often overlooked outside the construction industry and "desperately hoped" the findings would bring change to the regulation of safety device installation.
"20 Australians are killed at work by falls from height each year - a figure that has remained constant over the last eight years," he said.
While falls from height remains of the biggest causes of workplace death, no data is collected on whether unfit safety devices are to blame, Mr Cadzow said.
"The problem is that it's not being policed," he said.
"The statistics aren't able to tell you whether inadequate fall prevention systems contributed to the final outcome."
Mr Cadzow said there was no penalty for the incorrect installation of safety devices.
